1. POLISH LITERATURE
LITERATURA POLSKA

2. Polish Literature
The body of writings in Polish, one of the Slavic languages.
Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages including
Latin
Yiddish
Lithuanian
Ukrainian
Belarusian
German

3. Polish Literature
Poland acquired a literary language in Latin in the 10th century.
Mieszko I of Poland accepted Christianity in 966. He invited Roman Catholic priests from western Europe to build churches and monasteries as religious and cultural centres.

4. The Middle Ages
10th to 12th Century

5. Latin was at first the only literary language of Poland, and early works included saints’ lives, annals, and chronicles written by monks and priests.
The most important of these works are the Chronicon, which was compiled about 1113 by a Benedictine known only as Gallus Anonymous, and the Annales seu cronicae incliti regni Poloniae, brought up to 1480 by Jan Długosz, archbishop of Lwów.
Polish Literature | Middle Ages

6. Kronika Polska (1113) ‘‘Polish Chronicle’’ Written by Gallus Anonymous
It describes Poland from the times of legendary rulers Popiel and Piast, through historical kings and dukes to Bolesław III Wrymouth, on whose court the chronicle was written at the beginning of the 12th century. 
Polish Literature | Middle Ages

7. Annales seu cronicae incliti regni Poloniae (1480)
‘‘Annals of the Famed Kingdom of Poland’’
Written by Jan Długosz
Remains to date a trustworthy chronicle of historic events which took place in Eastern Europe from the 9th century until 1480, as well as a unique source of information concerning the hydrography and geography of the present day lands of Poland. 
Polish Literature | Middle Ages

8. Bogurodzica ‘‘Mother of God’’ A song in honour of the Virgin Mary
The oldest surviving poetry text in Polish
Language and rhythm are used with high artistic craftsmanship
The earliest extant copy of the song’s text dates from 1407, but its origins are much earlier
Polish Literature | Middle Ages

9. The Renaissance
15th to late 16th Century

10. Golden Age of Polish literature
Polish language was finally accepted on an equal footing with Latin.
Polish culture and art flourished under Jagiellonian rule, and many foreign poets and writers settled in Poland, bringing with them new literary trends.
Such writers included Kallimach and Conrad Celtis.
Klemens Janicki
Polish writer who used Latin as his principal vehicle of expression
Polish Literature | Renaissance

11. Mikołaj Rej (1505- 1569) "Father of Polish Literature“
Was notable for combining medieval religious interests with Renaissance humanism.
"Father of Polish Literature“
He wrote satirical poems and epigrams, and prose works.
Żywot człowieka poczciwego
“Life of a Decent Man” (1568)
a presentation of an ideal nobleman
Polish Literature | Renaissance

12. Jan Kochanowski ( )
He wrote both satirical poetry and classical tragedy, but his lyrical works proved to be superior to anything written before him.
His crowning achievement, a Polish work that equals the great poems of western Europe, was Treny or "Laments" (1580).
Polish Literature | Renaissance

13. Raj duszny (Eden of the Soul)
(ca – after 1529)
Hortulus Animae
Biernat of Lublin
a prayer-book
first book written entirely in the Polish language
printed in Kraków in 1513 at one of Poland's first printing establishments, operated by Florian Ungler
Polish Literature | Renaissance

14. Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski
Notable writers during the period:
Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski
Commentary on Reforming the Republic in Five Books (1554)
He evolved a bold social and political system based on the principle of equality before God and the law.
Marcin Kromer
Dialogues of a Courtier with a Monk (1551)
A strong defense of Catholic dogma.
Jakub Wujek
Polish translation of the Bible
Polish Literature | Renaissance

15. Title page, Catholic Jakub Wujek Bible, 1599

16. The Baroque Period
1620–1764

17. The literature during this period was significantly influenced by the great popularization of Jesuit high schools, which offered education based on Latin classics as part of a preparation for a political career.
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

18. POETRY Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński
The forerunner of Baroque poetry and who wrote predominantly religious poetry akin to that of the English Metaphysical poets.
His most important poems are his sonnets. They are written according to French model of the form
(e.g. On the War We Wage Against Satan, the World, and the Body)
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

19. SONNET IV Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński On the War We Wage Against Satan, the World, and the Body Peace - happiness, but strife our existence a Under the skies. That grim prince of darkness b And the world's enticing vanities press b Forcefully to bring on our decadence. a This is not all, O our mighty Ruler! c Our house-this body, for fleeting delight2, d Heedlessly envying the spirit its might, d Will not cease striving to fall for ever. c What shall I do in battle so frightful, e Weak, heedless, also divided in two? f O universal King, peace most faithful, e The hope of my salvation is in You! f Put me by Your side, and I will safely g Engage in struggle and win it bravely! g Translated by Michael J. Mikoś
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

20. Satire and pastoral became popular forms Krzysztof Opaliński
Satires or Warnings on the Reform of the Government and Customs in Poland (1650)
Samuel Twardowsk
Daphne Transformed into a Laurel Tree (1638)
Fair Pasqualina (1655) – a tale of sacred and profane love in which Polish Baroque acheved its most finely wrought splendour. 
Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic
New Ruthenian Idylls (1663) - introduced topical dramatic elements into the traditional pastoral lyric; images of war and death were superimposed upon the pastoral background, with macabre effect and typical Baroque incongruity.
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

21. The age was characterized by an ambition to write heroic epics—a preoccupation to be explained perhaps by such historical events as the wars against the Cossacks, the Russians, the Swedes, and the Turks.
The War of Chocim (1673) by Wacław Potocki
Polish Psalmody (1695) by Wespazjan Kochowski
was written in celebration of John Sobieski’s victory over the Turks at Vienna in 1683, at which Kochowski had been present. 
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

22. Developments during the period:
The prose of the Baroque period did not rise to the level of its poetry, though there was a wealth of diaries and memoirs.
Jan Chryzostom Pasek
Memoirs of the Polish Baroque: The Writings of Jan Chryzostom Pasek (1836)
The period was also notable for the emergence of the letter as a literary form
Jan III Sobieski
Polish Literature | The Baroque Period

23. Piotr Baryka (1566–1620) Developments during the period:
Popular anonymous literature, exemplified by the ribald comedies. These were generally popular satiric comedies and broad farces written mainly by playwrights of plebeian birth. 
Piotr Baryka (1566–1620)
From Peasant to King (1637)
Which carried a motif made popular in the introduction to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew—the seeming bestowal of noble rank upon a person of lowly birth.

24. The Enlightenment
1764–1795

25. Polish literature was greatly influenced by the country’s close contact with western Europe, especially with France and England, during the Enlightenment.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

26. The periodical and the novel
Polish writers were inspired in particular by the idea of saving the national culture from the disastrous effects of partitions and foreign rule.
Theatres and drama
The periodical and the novel
Interest in folk literature and its specific forms, such as the ballad.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

27. The rise of the Polish drama
Drama was established late in Poland, under the influence of modern French and Italian drama.
The earliest significant event was the inauguration of a national theatre in Warsaw in 1765.
Play in the presence of King Stanisław Augustus, The painting depicts the interior of the first National Theatre in Warsaw situated at the Krasiński Square.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

28. Franciszek Bohomolec Wojciech Bogusławski Franciszek Zabłocki
Principal dramatists:
Franciszek Bohomolec
whose satires were often adapted from Molière
Wojciech Bogusławski
The Pretended Miracle, or Krakovians and Highlanders (1794)
Franciszek Zabłocki
The Dandy’s Courtship (1781)
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

29. From the collection of
Theatre Institute in Warsaw
From the collection of
Theatre Institute in Warsaw
The Pretended Miracle, or Krakovians and Highlanders, was staged on Sunday, 1st March 1794, in the National Theatre in Warsaw. It is considered the first national opera.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

30. Modern periodicals appeared at this time (Monitor, 1765–1785)
Didacticism – a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature and other types of art.
Modern periodicals appeared at this time  (Monitor, 1765–1785)
Polish dictionary was published between 1807 and 1814 by Samuel Linde
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

31. Bishop Ignacy Krasicki
Poland's leading Enlightenment poet
"the Prince of Poets"
Wrote the first Polish novel, The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom (1776), written in diary form and showing the influence of Jonathan Swift and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

32. Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz
His writings were inspired by patriotism and concern for reform
His original dumy (ballads) were the first literary ballads in Poland.
Introduced the historical novel to Poland with Jan of Tęczyn (1825), which showed the influence of Sir Walter Scott.
The Return of the Deputy (1790) was one of the best dramatic works of the period
Historical Songs (1816) was widely read.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

33. After the partition and the loss of national independence, the tradition of patriotic poetry was continued by émigré soldier-poets in the Polish legions of Napoleon’s army.
Józef Wybicki
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego
or "Dąbrowski’s Mazurka" (1797) –
popular patriotic song
Adopted as the
national anthem in 1918.
Polish Literature | Enlightenment

34. Romanticism

35. Polish Romanticism
The literature of Polish Romanticism falls into two distinct periods, both defined by insurgencies: 
November Uprising of 1830
Polish Positivism
Polish Literature | Romanticism

36. November Uprising Polish–Russian War or Cadet Revolution
November 1830 – October 1831
Was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

37. Taking of the Warsaw Arsenal Painting by Marcin Zaleski.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

38. Polish Romantics were heavily influenced by other European Romantics – their art featured emotionalism and imagination, folklore, country life, as well as the propagation of the ideals of independence.
The most famous writers of the period were:
Adam Mickiewicz
Seweryn Goszczyński
Tomasz Zan
Maurycy Mochnacki.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

39. Positivism
A socio-cultural movement that defined progressive thought in literature and social sciences of partitioned Poland, following the suppression of the 1863 January Uprising against the occupying army of Imperial Russia.
"The Battle" from the cycle of paintings "Polonia" dedicated to January Uprising of Artur Grottger.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

40. "Polonia (Poland), 1863", by Jan Matejko, 1864, oil on canvas, 156 × 232 cm, National Museum, Kraków. Pictured is the aftermath of the failed January 1863 Uprising. Captives await transportation to Siberia. Russian officers and soldiers supervise a blacksmith placing shackles on a woman (Polonia). The blonde girl next to her represents Lithuania.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

41. Positivism The advocates exercise reason before emotion.
They believed that independence, if it is to be regained, must be won gradually, by "building from the foundations" (creating a material infrastructure and educating the public) and through organic work that would enable Polish society to function as a fully integrated social organism.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

42. Aleksander Świętochowski:
The Positivists viewed work as the true way to maintain a Polish national identity and demonstrate a constructive patriotism.
Aleksander Świętochowski:
"great problems hidden in the womb of mankind can be solved by education alone, and this education must be compulsory".
Polish Literature | Romanticism

43. Bolesław Prus Lead advocate of Positivism
He advised his compatriots that Poland's place in the world would be determined by the sum of its contributions made to the world's scientific, technological, economic and cultural progress
Polish Literature | Romanticism

44. The Doll  (1890)
depicts the romantic infatuation of a man of action who is frustrated by his country's backwardness.
Title page, 1st book edition, 1890
Polish Literature | Romanticism

45. Adam Mickiewicz
Was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator, professor of Slavic literature, and political activist
A principal figure in Polish Romanticism
National poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus.
One of Poland's "Three Bards“ along with
Juliusz Słowacki and Zygmunt Krasiński. 
Poland's greatest poet
Known for his poetic drama Forefathers' Eve and the national epic poem Pan Tadeusz.
Polish Literature | Romanticism

46. Dziady / Forefather’s Eve
Scene from Dziady. "Master, you have shown no mercy!"
The drama's title refers to Dziady, an ancient Slavic and Lithuanian feast commemorating the dead (the "forefathers"). 
Polish Literature | Romanticism

47. Pan Tadeusz (1834)
Set during the Napoleonic era in a fictional idyllic village of Soplicowo somewhere in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, or in modern-day Belarus, the poem tells a story of litigation over ruins of an old castle between two noble families – Soplica and Horeszko – against the backdrop of an anticipated Franco-Russian war.
Title page of the first edition
Polish Literature | Romanticism

48. Twentieth Century

49. Young Poland Movement
The modernist period known as the Young Poland movement in visual arts, literature and music, came into being around 1890, and concluded with the Poland's return to independence (1918).
Opposition to the Polish version of Positivism and in a desire to reinstate imagination as paramount in literature; hence, the movement is also known as Neo-romanticism, Modernism, and Symbolism.
Polish Literature | Twentieth Century

50. Many novelists continued to explore themes related to the war (WWII) experience and its aftermath; others wrote works of psychological and political realism, reflecting current European trends.
Post war poetry in Poland deals principally with philosophical concerns.

51. Skamander Founded in Warsaw about 1918
Group of young Polish poets who were united in their desire to forge a new poetic language that would accurately reflect the experience of modern life.
Polish Literature | Twentieth Century

52. The regaining of Polish independence in 1918 after generations of partition inspired new literary activity. The Skamander group of urban poets, including Julian Tuwim and Kazimierz Wierzyński, called for an end to nationalist preoccupation and for experimental freedom.
Polish Literature | Twentieth Century

53. Czesław Miłosz
(1911–2004)
Ranks among the most respected figures in twentieth-century Polish literature, as well as one of the most respected contemporary poets in the world: he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980
His most well known novel is The Captive Mind, which deals with totalitarian ideology and also its unexpected appeal to many, even intellectuals.
Polish Literature | Twentieth Century